| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
BA (Hons) History
Why study this course
Small class sizes and a friendly lecturing team on an intimate campus in the heart of historic Lincoln enable you to find your voice as a historian.
This course will utilise long-established, experienced contacts to take you beyond the classroom on educational visits and work placements, within Lincoln and further afield.
All History students are guaranteed an interview for a PGCE Primary or Secondary course at BGU & a free place on our 'Preparing for Teaching' courses.
Course summary
While studying a History course at BGU, you will explore a range of fascinating topics spanning a number of historical eras, in a variety of local, national and global contexts; from pirates in the early modern Atlantic World to civil rights campaigners in the 1960s. As well as learning about the people in the past on this undergraduate degree, you will investigate how people today engage with history and consider how the past can be brought alive.
Key facts
- Award: BA (Hons)
- UCAS code: V10A
- Duration: 3 years
- Mode of study: Full time
- Start date: September 2025
- Award: Bishop Grosseteste University
- Institution code: B38
What you will study
As a student on this course, you may study some or all of the modules listed below.
Year 1
- British Libraries, Museums and Archives: A History of Collection
- Histories of Identity: Sexuality, Race, Class and Gender
- The Early Modern British Isles: From Reformation to Revolution
- At War with Itself: the United States from Civil Rights to Vietnam
- Democratic Dictators
- The First World War
- The Historian’s Craft: Doing History at University
- The merrie folk of Late Medieval England: from king to the poorest widow
Year 2
- Invented Histories: Understanding Popular Representations of the Past
- People and Places: Researching Local and Regional History
- Creative Destruction: The Atlantic World in the 17th and 18th centuries
- A Better World is Possible: British protest movements
- Work Placement
Year 3
- Special Subject
- ‘The Sun Never Set and the Blood Never Dried’: The British Empire in the 19th Century
- History Dissertation
- The Global Cold War
Optional modules
- The Dark Arts: A History of Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore
- The Transformation of the West, 300-900 CE
- The City in Global History: The Rise of Urban Societies in the Modern Age
- The Long Weekend: Britain between the wars
- Blitzkrieg: Armoured Warfare during the Second World War
- Fighting Back: The History of (counter) insurgency
- Kill Your Masters: The French and Haitian Revolutions
- Crime and Punishment in Modern Britain, c. 1800 to the present
Entry requirements
You will normally need 96-112 UCAS tariff points (from a maximum of four Advanced Level qualifications). We welcome a range of qualifications that meet this requirement, such as A/AS Levels, BTEC, Access Courses, International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Pre-U, Extended Project etc.
How you will be taught
There is no one-size-fits-all method of teaching at BGU – we shape our methods to suit each subject and each group, combining the best aspects of traditional university teaching with innovative techniques to promote student participation and interactivity.
You will be taught in a variety of ways, from lectures, tutorials and seminars, to practical workshops, coursework and work-based placements. Small group seminars and workshops will provide you with an opportunity to review issues raised in lectures, and you will be expected to carry out independent study.
Assessment
In History, we believe in utilising assessments that will accurately test your key skills, knowledge and understanding. We select only those assessments that will enable you to learn, improve and progress over the course of the degree programme and which will prepare you for challenges beyond university, such as job interviews, creative presentations, professional exchanges of ideas, report writing and project management.
Careers & Further study
Studying History at BGU enhances your employability by focusing on highly desirable and transferable critical thinking and analytical skills, professional writing practices and the art of constructing persuasive arguments.
Possible future careers for History graduates include education in the schooling and heritage sectors, marketing, journalism and publishing, law and policing, public policy, information research and management, working as an archivist, librarian or museum curator.
Support
Studying at BGU is a student-centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests.
Fees & Funding
A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Overview:
The BA (Hons) History program at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) specializes in social and cultural history, encouraging students to study the past with empathy and diverse perspectives. With small class sizes and an intimate campus in the heart of historic Lincoln, the program fosters individual voices as historians. The program prioritizes experiential learning through educational visits and work placements within Lincoln and beyond, utilizing longstanding, experienced partnerships. All History students benefit from guaranteed interviews for PGCE Primary or Secondary courses at BGU and a complimentary place on 'Preparing for Teaching' courses.
Objectives:
- Develop students' ability to study the past with empathy and see it from different perspectives.
- equip students with skills to research, analyze, and explain historical periods through various theoretical methodologies.
- foster independent and original historical research culminating in a dissertation in the final year.
- enhance understanding of people in the past and how history is encountered within the community.
- expose students to a variety of historical eras and contexts, from local to global settings.
- guide students in analyzing data, images, texts, constructing arguments, and engaging in historical research.
Specific Features:
- Small class sizes and personalized attention in an intimate campus setting.
- Emphasis on social and cultural history with diverse theoretical approaches.
- Extensive use of placements and site visits to archives and museums.
- Analysis of data, images, and texts to develop argumentation skills.
- Focus on original historical research culminating in an independent dissertation.
Outline:
Program Content:
The program explores a diverse range of historical eras and themes, using various local, national, and global contexts. Students delve into topics like pirates in the early modern Atlantic World and civil rights campaigns in the 1960s. The program also examines how history is understood and engaged with within communities, incorporating work-based placements at archives, museums, schools, or other relevant sites based on career goals.
Structure:
- Full-time, 3-year program.
- Semester-based structure.
- Combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, coursework, and work placements.
- Emphasis on independent study and research.
Typical Modules:
- British Libraries, Museums and Archives: A History of Collection, 1600-2000 This module delves into the history of British libraries, museums, and archives from their early origins in elite collecting practices to state-supported public institutions and the involvement of non-elite experts and collectors. Examining the development and legacy of the British Museum, the module explores the role of politics, economics, identities, and national and global significance in the collection and preservation of various materials.
- Histories of Identity: Sexuality, Race, Class and Gender Focuses on individual and collective identities through key theoretical texts and biographically-focused case studies, mainly centered on British history. Explores different approaches to the history of identity and its significance for modern historical studies.
- The Early Modern British Isles: From Reformation to Revolution Introduces the early modern British Isles from the Reformation of the Church of England to the 1688 Revolution. Examines this period from political, social, military, cultural, and economic perspectives, taking a broad approach to understand this time of transformation. Considers social structures, lifecycles, religious change, the rise of parliament and state, radical politics, printing culture, the English Civil War, and urban, rural, and maritime/imperial developments. Analyzes the significance of this period using available resources and diverse historiographical and methodological approaches. Explores pivotal events, themes, and figures of the US Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Examines different elements of the Civil Rights Movement, its connections to labor and women's rights, and its impact on the national political landscape. Analyzes the impact of the Vietnam War on American society, culture, and politics, examining war experiences, military conflict, domestic situation, American masculinity, national identity, and anti-communist ideology during this period.
- Democratic Dictators Surveys, through global case studies, the phenomenon of 'democratic dictators' from the 19th century onwards. Examines individual rulers who established personalized, authoritarian systems while retaining elements of democratic practices, like popular sovereignty and elections. Explores theories about the relationships between modern mass societies, democratic ideas, dictatorial regimes, using historical examples from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Analyzes and compares historical cases to understand the emergence, development, and persistence of democratic dictatorship from its early origins to its global expansion in the 20th century.
- The First World War Introduces the First World War, focusing on its military, social, and political aspects. Highlights the global nature of the conflict, exploring its development across various theaters like Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Investigates the outbreak of the war, total war strategies, changes in warfare between 1914 and 1918, impact of the war on the state and society, analyzing opposition to the war, conscientious objection, political upheaval, key historiographical debates, primary source material, including official documents, personal testimonies, and visual sources. Introduces students to historical study at the undergraduate level, focusing on its diverse nature and different approaches. Explores key areas of theory and practice, including schools of historical thought, primary sources, and popular interpretative approaches. Emphasizes critical and practical skills involved in reading, researching, and writing history. Introduces essential study skills like reading academic texts, information literacy, academic integrity, and research strategies.
- The merrie folk of Late Medieval England: from king to the poorest widow 1000-1485 Studies late medieval England, examining various roles, occupations, and classes in society through a survey approach. Investigates evolving aspects of late medieval society, such as kingship, the aristocracy, feudalism, gender, education, literature, and drama. Introduces recent historiographical debates regarding kingship and conflict between social groups, particularly during the Baron’s Wars and the War of the Roses. Explores gender roles in society, religious changes, drama used for religious promotion, literature development, learning, and transformation of the medieval landscape. Introduces this formative period of English history and key historiographical debates while developing relevant research, analysis, and explanation skills.
- Invented Histories: Understanding Popular Representations of the Past Explores "invented histories", attempts to reinterpret past narratives in various popular media formats. Examines case studies across social, political, and military themes from different time periods and regions. Analyzes their historical accuracy, motivations, methods of representation, and impact on public understanding of the past.
- People and Places: Researching Local and Regional History Develops knowledge, understanding, and subject-specific skills related to local and regional history. Covers research methods, including primary source analysis and digital information skills. Reviews local and regional historiography, exploring various perspectives and framings like political, social, cultural, and economic. Through practical exercises, develops the skills needed to operate successfully in this field.
- Creative Destruction: The Atlantic World in the 17th and 18th centuries Engages students in a wide-ranging study of the Atlantic World in the early modern period, with a focus on the 17th and 18th centuries. Analyzes the political, economic, technological, social, and cultural history of the Atlantic World, with a particular focus on the 'Anglophone Atlantic', its origins, growth, and interaction with European empires, indigenous peoples in the Americas, and Africa. Key themes explored include trade, people movement, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade, conflict and cooperation between states, sub-state groups, and individuals, the significance of identities and their transformations due to the Atlantic experience, and the role of science, knowledge, and communication in the Atlantic World.
- The Dark Arts: A History of Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore Examines the history of magic, witchcraft,
